Because "life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all" – Helen Keller

Month: May 2016

This week the travel theme at Where’s My Backpack? takes a look at slowing down and remembering to breathe.

In my ideal, dream world, when I need to breathe I’d simply head off to the mountains. It is in the mountains where I find a calmness and peace unlike anywhere else. As a mother of two young children with a spouse who travels a lot, this is often times just that. A dream. So it’s those places closer to home that I turn to most often.

Moving every few years leaves you a perpetual newcomer, always trying to locate something. For me, it’s important to add finding a space to breathe into my explorations of a new area. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a place close by that allows you to get away from it all – a place that gives you a sense of inner peace. That is one of my great joys when I explore. Finding a place that is still and quiet that allows me to simply be, to simply breath. Solitary paths in the woods exhilarate me, but it’s not always a possibility. I try to find some space in each day to breathe simply by taking time to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee in the quiet stillness of the early morning.

Some days though, I need to get out. I need to explore. I need to shake up the routine and rhythm of everyday life. I need to find someplace wild, someplace calm, someplace new to hear the myself think over the day-to-day necessities.

Living in Germany is a great place if you’re looking for breathing space. Both of the towns I lived in were small towns in a rural setting, offering a multitude of beautiful green spaces to explore. You were guaranteed to find someplace quiet. Someplace where you were the only one around. I loved exploring the trails and the woods. Even though I have a terrible sense of direction, I rarely got lost. The trails in Germany are usually well-marked.

When we moved to Rome, one of the things I feared was that in this giant city, I would never find a quiet place to breath. I was wrong. You may not think of green spaces and quiet places, but they are there. If you know where to look. I don’t begin to think I’ve unlocked all of the secrets of the quiet places of Rome in just 9 months, but I have found a few places where I can breathe.

Here are just a few of the many breathing spaces I found in Germany:

Some of our favorite breathing spaces in Germany were minutes away from our home.

Even in the towns in Germany, you’ll find a place to pause and reflect.

Nearly every home in Germany had a garden of some sort. Even walking down the street provided an opportunity to breathe in the beauty of nature.

A quiet spot for reflection on a morning hike.

Trails wind throughout Germany, some paved like this one around a castle.

You can always count on finding a bench along the path in Germany.

A hike through the town does everyone some good. Every now and again, even the youngest among us need to get out and breathe.

And here are a few of the breathing spaces I’ve found in Rome. So far.

The Appian Way is a beautiful walk, and even with traffic and tourists, it gives you space to breathe.

The Aqueduct park is a large open space in Rome. The trails wind through the park and beneath the remains of the ancient structures.

An unexpected sight, sheep graze in Rome, near the Apian Way.

The view from the pedestrian bridge at Ponte Milvio is lovely, and easily accessible along the Lungotevere.

Some of the breathing space of Rome is a bit outside the city, like this restaurant in Castel Gondolfo.

Sometimes you have unexpected encounters when your seeking solitude. Even in Rome.

The cool evening air begins to settle, and most of the visitors are home. The silence on the Via Appia is heavenly.

It’s not always possible to find a green space. I love to visit the smaller galleries and museums in Rome, where you are often the only visitor in the room. It is an amazing experience to sit in the stillness and admire the art around you.

The Lungotevere is a beautiful respite from the noise of the streets above.

Tucked away on Monte Mario is the French Military Cemetery. A solemn reminder of the past.

The French Military Cemetery on Monte Mario is a beautiful and solemn area

This week, the WordPress photo challenge takes a look at getting to know people as an artist by studying their Face. This week for the photo challenge, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the faces I’ve come across in my travels.

Many works of art masterfully depict faces to convey a message, an emotion, a brief snapshot of a period in time. I love to stroll through the galleries and piece together the past through the work of the great artists, marveling at their ability to capture so much within their canvas. But for this challenge, I decided to look at some of the faces of folk art and art in public spaces I encountered in Germany.

For me, the great art provides a glimpse of the epoch, the themes that prevail on the larger scale. I find that the art people make, the art that they keep in their homes and erect in their communal spaces, allows you to see the individuals. It shows you how they choose to honor what is most important to them.

As George Bernard Shaw famously wrote, “you use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.”

In Pfullendorf, a small town in southern Baden Württemberg we see the faces of the past in the local cemetery.

Half hidden by vines, a statue holds a thoughtful pose in a cemetery in Pfullendorf

A solemn figure on a grave marker in Pfullendorf’s cemetery.

A metal cross with the likeness of Mary and Jesus on a grave marker in Pfullendorf.

And in the water park, we see the faces of the future.

This statue looks over the water park in Pfullendorf.

In Burglengenfeld, a small town in Bavaria, we find the faces of the people in the local folk art.

Another exhibit in the folk art museum shows a traditional costume. Across southern Germany and Bavaria, as well as many areas in the Alps, masks play an integral part in many festivals. The masks themselves are often intricate works of art.

Another depiction of a Catholic theme on a wardrobe in the Folk Art Museum of Burglengenfeld.

A special exhibition of the Folk Art Museum of Burglengenfeld focused on the handcrafted toys of children in developing nations. The faces of toys reflect a reality of the children.

And the faces of the community in the public spaces.

The fountain of the main square in Burglengenfeld.

This statue stands in front of the Rathouse in Burglengenfeld.

The castle in Burglengenfeld is a home to many residents who participate in art therapy. Here on a tour of the castle, the guide talks about some of the royal faces the residents have chosen to depict. On a side note, this was our first outing in Bavaria after our move. We went on a 45 minute tour, and didn’t understand a word our guide said. It was all in Bayerisch!

And a glimpse into the soul as we view the faces in the Kunstwald.

The still woods of the Kunstwald provides the perfect resting spot for this giant.

An artists rendering of the face along the trail of the Kunstwald in Burglengenfeld.

A row of faces stands watch along the trail of the kunstwald in Burglengenfeld.

A carving along the trail of the Kunstwald in Burglengenfeld.

Carving along the trail of the Kunstwald in Burglengenfeld.

One of the many works by local artists on a forest trail in Burglengenfeld, it is known as the Kunstwald – the art woods.